Mineral separator



Nov. 11 24- 1,514,807

R. M. TWEEDY MINERAL SEPARATOH Filed July 25, 1922 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. M. TWEEDY MINERAL SEPARATOR Nov. 11-, 1924; 1,514,807

Filed July 25, 922 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

' owenlor.

Patented Nev. ll, i924.

UNETED STATES ROBERT M. TWEEDY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

MINERAL SEPARATO'R.

Application filed July 25, 1922.

T 0 allwlzomt may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnnr M. Twnrnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in Spokane County and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mineral Separators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in mineral separators adapted especially for use in connection with the separation of gold bearing sand from the coarser gravel in placer mining operations and for extracting the gold from the sand by-means of washingand agitating the ore as it is passed through the machine embodying my invention.

The mineral separator as adapted for placer mining involves power driven mechanism whereby the ore is washed, the coarser materials separated out from the ore and disposed of, and then the fine material remaining, as sand, is treated to collect and extract the gold from the gold bearing sand.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts involving a washing trough and other features, compactly associated, and relatively disposed for co-operative action, as will be more specifically described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention in which the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a separating mill embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is an end elevation at the charging or feeding end of the separator.

Figure 4 's an end elevation at the delivery or extracting end of the separator.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the washing trough and washing blade therein.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the extracting tank showing its relation to the washing trough.

In carrying out my invention I utilize the customary supporting frame structure 1,

upon which is supported a feed hopper 2 into which the gold bearing material or ore is fed, after having been secured in the usual process of placer mininqyor in any other customary manner. To facilitate the feed of the ore, the hopper is provided with Seria1 No. 577,299.

a transversely disposed shaft 3 having pins or prongs 3 thereon for beating, breaking, and feeding the material through the hopper. The shaft is revolved from a gear couple 1 through the gear shaft 5, disposed. vertically at the side of the frame, and the gear shaft is revolved by a pair of bevel gears 6 from the power shaft 7, which extends longitudinally of the frame and is revolved from the driving pulley 7 by usual belt power.

The ore is passed from the inclined hopper 2 into the open end of a rotary, reticulated drum or sieve 8, supported in inclined position, by rollers 8" at the top of the frame, to receive the ore. The centrally disposed shaft 9 of the rotary drum is operated from the power shaft by sprocket chain 10 and sprocket wheels 10 and 10 at the discharge end of the separator, and by these connec tions the drum is revolved or rotated. The coarse or heavy material, as gravel, is shaken and agitated within the drum, and passes from end to end thereof, and is disposed of at the lower'end of the drum by falling into the trough 2 1, located beneath the outlet end of the drum.

Water is supplied to. the ore within the rotary drum from the water supply pipe 11. which terminates in a nozzle 12 located in and disposed. longitudinally of the drum, for dissolving'the lumps of material and facilitating separation thereof. The water sprayed or sprinked in the interior of the drum, falls by gravity through the lower parts of the separator to insure a supply throughout the dilferent steps of the operation of the separator.

Below the rotary drum is located a longitudinally disposed shaking screen'or agitator, comprising three oscillating flights as 13, 14 and 15, the upper and lower screens being arranged in parallelism and inclined, and the intermediate screen 14 being inclined in opposite direction. or located at an angle to the upper and lower screens. The screens may be of various sizes or mesh, capable of ermittin assa e therethrou h of the old b L) b h bearing sand as it falls from the drum 8 to the agitator beneath the drum, and such materials that are too large or too coarse to pass through the mesh of the lower screen 15. are disposed of through the discharge end 25 ofthe lower screen.

To permit oscillation of the agitator, it is suspended from a suitable member of the frame by two pairs of pivoted links 16, sup ported from the frame and connectedto the agitator to permit the latter to swing or oscillate longitudinally of the frame. The oscillating movement is imparted tator through a crank shaft 17, jo-urnaled transversely of the frame at the feed end or charging end thereof, and revolved by get 18, one of which has a sprocket for the n sprocket chain 19., The chain 19 is driven by the main sprocket 20 "on the power shaft, and is guided in a triangular path, trans versely of the frame under the upper guide tvheel 21 and around a sprocket Wheel 'on'the countershaft 22. The conntersh'aft 22 revolves the crank shaft through the gears 18 and the oral k shaft is connected to the agitator by the pivoted pitman 2 3" for pushing and pulling the agitator and swinging it in its suspended links.

The finest of the gold bearing sand passes through the lower screen 15, the coarser particles, after passing over or through the upper screen and the intermediate screen to the letve'r screen being disposed of and discharged by action of the agitator, out of the discharge end 25 of the agitator.

From the agitator the finely separated material falls by gravity into a Washing trough 26, disposed below the agitator, and also inclined in the general direction and parallel With thedrum and agitator, and in which trough the falling Water is caught and passed to its lower end. Within the Washer trough i disposed a flat, Washing blade 27 having serrated or toothed edges 27 and a number of perforations or holes 28 therethrough to permit passage of the water as this blade isrevolved for stirring the Watered sand. The blade is fixed to a longi tudinally extending shaft 29 journaled in the ends of the Washer trough; and the shaft has a driven sprocket Wheel 30 to receive motion from the power shaft T through the main drive sprocket chain 19, and by means of Which the shaft and its blade are revolved. By the action of the serrated edges of the blade and the perforations in the blade the Water and gold bearing sand are stirred in order to secure afihal Washing and separation of the sand from the gold particles, and the separated. and Washed material finds its Way dOWll the inclined trough 26 to its discharge end 31.

The discharge end 81 of the Washer trough is connected with an extractor trough or tank 32 at the upper end of a transversely dis'posedand inclined extractor tank 33 at the discharge end of the separator. The inclined bottom of this tank is fashioned with a stepped formation to provide c'oncaved portions or pockets 34: arranged in spaced series; one below another and extending transversely of the extractor tank. These pockets are supplied with mercury, which to the agihas an afiinity for the particles of gold carried by the Wet sand, and the gold particles are gathered in the pockets While the sand finds its Way to the lot'ver end of the tank and outat the end 35. \Vhile traveling down the inclined bottom of the extractor tank, the movement of the material is assisted by mechanism actuated from the sprocket- Wheel 56 on the shaft 29 of the Washer; This auxiliary driving sprocket 36 drives the chain 37 Which passes over a series of sprockets 38 locat d ext'eriorly of the extractor tank on the ends of shafts 39, each shaft being journaled in the Walls of the extractor tank and located just above a pocket 34. Each shaft 39 has a fixed blade 40, similar to the serrated and perforated blade 27 of the Washer and the respective blades and shafts are revolved counter clockwise, With the edges of the blades passing over the mercury in the pockets. It Will be apparent that by the action of the revolving blades 40 as they pass over the mercury pockets the gold particles are separated from the sand-by the serrated edges of the blades in ordenthat he gold may be gathered in the pockets; and the sand or lighter material is passed toward the discharge end of the tank.

To insure proper passage of the material and hold the mass at the bottom of the tank, a series of transversely disposed, spaceth and adjustable bafiie boards 4E1 are used. These baffle boards project downwardly into the tank toward its bottom and are supported in guide grooves 42 in the side Walls ofthe tank, in order that they may be'elevated or lowered for the purpose of maintaining the moving mass on the bottom of the tank.

When the gold reaches the extractor it will be evident that it has been properly prepared for the actionfof the mercury in which it is retained and from Which it may subsequently be gathered in usual manner.

The separator as thus described and illustrated is compactly arranged in order that the gold bearing ore may be fed to the charging hopper, and the material then rasses through the successive steps, Without necessity fortransfer or handli1'1g5 except in the mill, until the extracted gold is collected in the pockets of the extractor.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is The combination in a mineral separator with a Washing trough adapted to receive Wet material, of a shaft journaled in said trough a straight flat blade fix-ed at opposite sides to said shaft having straight serrated edges and perforations in itsbody means for revolving said shaft and blade, Jan' 'duatank adapted to receive the Washed material from said trough.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT M. TXVEEDY. 

